


Speedsters' Way

by ImaKaraTabiHe



Series: Speedster Family [1]
Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Contemplation, Speedster Family, speedster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 06:38:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5698672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaKaraTabiHe/pseuds/ImaKaraTabiHe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life as a Speedster is hard at times.  No one can understand a Speedster like another Speedster.  That's why they are so close knit they called be called a Speedster family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Speedsters' Way

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this on the fly when I thought about what it would be like to experience time differently and it seemed like there were so many things that became more painful. So yeah, this. There was some inspiration from a fan fic titled "The Truth About the Flash" (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10192224/1/The-Truth-About-Flash).

Frankly he knew that everyone thought of him as childish and irresponsible. He heard the whispers and the rumors of how he could mess things up. He heard so much about how he was a fool from his teammates and from his classmates. Wally knew that even with his genius mind, being a Speedster tended to throw people off of knowing who he really was.

When a minute seems like an hour, there's not much Wally could do but grow, mentally contemplate his situation and that of the world. While his body would age progressively slowly, he would always remain older inside. It's amazing what chemicals and the power of mother nature can do. Of course he had been expecting some things when he redid the accident that gave his Uncle Barry his powers and made him the Flash. But growing so old mentally and maturing so much faster than those around him was something that had him at a loss.

Often he felt a sense of disconnection when it came to his teammates in the Young Justice. He would eat five times his weight, they would laugh and pick on him about it, he'd joke and do something stupid to make the situation lighter. Then it would happen all over again. It was a cycle of discomfort, a wall between those he called teammates and friends. Even his Aunt Iris couldn't fully understand the implications of being a speedster.

It was lucky for him that he had Uncle Barry, Jay, and Max. Together they had formed their own little Speedster family. Even Johnny Quicksilver was included (although a bit of an oddity himself). They could talk to each other at their own speeds, which were way too fast for anyone else on the planet, possibly the world. They could enjoy the same simple moments that flashed by too quickly for others but just perfectly for them. Wally never felt a wall between them as there was with his friends. Of course, their powers differed slightly, but for Speedsters, it was like they could find solace and comfort in their own race.

As a speedster, Wally came to understand that time was different. Almost irrelevant to them. Being a Speedster was almost like being an immortal. It's not that they were impervious to death (any Speedster was well aware of the multitude of injuries they amassed). Rather, it was their hyperactive metabolism that allowed for a much quicker healing process than others. Bones would heal three times faster when broken and they were almost never susceptible to illnesses as Speedsters.

In a Speedster's case, immortality was the ever growing mentality. While their bodies often moved slower to pace itself with the rest of the world, their mind weathered the seconds, minutes and hours that sometimes seemed like an eternity to them. Trapped inside their reality, they could only wait, sometimes begging for an end to moments that terrified them, that pained them.

It was a bitter inside joke that their teammates and friends often marveled at the times they enjoy stretched out. Hal Jordan once joked about how if he were a speedster he would use his time to check out the women “extra slow”. Uncle Barry had laughed with Hal, a sort of bitter broken laugh that Hal was too oblivious to recognize. Hal was like that sometimes. But Wally knew. Wally had heard. Wally understood why his Uncle Barry had simply laughed, albeit sadly, because Wally knew that it wasn't just the “good moments” that got stretched out. It was everything.

Wally watched once, as a young child lay in a pile of broken rubble. He had been too afraid to move the young child as blood seeped into the dust and dirt and the child's bones had ruptured skin. He had cried for help, begged for the child to hold on. He was sure he had muttered broken words of comfort (lies at best). There was no hope for that child. No chance of survival and Wally had watched the light leave that child's eyes for days in speedster time. For a young man of Wally's special distinction, it took that child days to die, for the suffering to end. That was something that others failed to understand. They just couldn't wrap their heads around it. For speedsters, instances of tragedy lasted far longer and had time to dig deeper.

Wally understood the differences between his team and himself. He liked his friends, really he did. He loved listening to Kaldur talk about his home and watching the lightning contrast his dark skin. He enjoyed the subtle facial movements of Conner when he was introduced to something knew. Confusion looked so interesting on him. M'gann's smile was always so bright and he spent hours soaking in the brilliance of it. Artemis was an odd one and he spent a lot of time figuring out how to carry on their banter like children. He enjoyed bringing her down to his childish level (he was very accomplished like that). When it came to Robin, he enjoyed the mystery of his personality and spent hours thinking over something Robin had said before he moved on to explain his reasoning. It was a game to him to guess what Robin was going to say next and on some levels Robin could understand the difference between them, often allowing for Wally's oddities. Robin became Wally's best friend that way.

Still, it was nice to be around other Speedsters. Wally knew that the others felt the same way. Sometimes Jay and Max were so tense while they kept their speed slow enough to communicate with normal humans. Uncle Barry, Wally knew, stressed about hiding his speed at his job as a forensic analyst with the Central City Police force. Johnny was always thrilled to have others who could keep up with his speedy mathematical mind. Wally was less childish, less of a goofball around them. He didn't have to pretend to be his physical age. He often found himself contemplating problems with Johnny about the mathematical make up of the universe and speed's effects on physical beings.

While Wally enjoyed his friends, his Speedster family often engaged in moments beyond their time. Wally found himself with his Uncle Barry, Jay, Max, and sometimes Johnny experiencing moments and enjoying the little things in life that were too small for average people. Their speed allowed them the time to tighten their bonds. Often when one felt trapped by normal life, they found relief and comfort in their speedster bonds. There was more understanding between them than there could be anyone else.

Wally remembered the time that they went to get ice cream. There had been another family with two children who bickered over which flavor was the best. Jay and Uncle Barry had started debating over the best flavors and Wally had decided that they were all the best (except for the healthified ones that consisted of veggies). Max had raised an eyebrow at that, and while he did not disagree, decided that they should try all of the flavors and vote. As Speedsters with an enhanced metabolism, they could eat almost anything and often ate more than a buffet for fifty. That was how they ended up eating a ton of ice cream and shocking the workers at the store. It was a good thing they were in costume, otherwise they might have been kicked out (it's a good thing that Batman kept a little account for Speedsters; he was secretly good like that).

Speedsters had their own rules and experienced life extremely different from others. The laughter and joking in dark times to others sometimes made them feel like Speedsters were simple idiots and couldn't read the mood. That wasn't true. It wasn't true at all. The Young Justice team often yelled at Wally for making jokes when everyone else was sad, saying that he was insensitive and just plain rude. It wasn't that. Wally felt pain and fear, all Speedsters did. Speedsters could have massive depressive episodes in a matter of seconds to others (Wally knew that for a fact). It was also a fact that Speedsters recovered before others would realize they too had been in pain, had felt the fear and tension, even the hopelessness of the situation. It was one of the reasons that many labeled Speedsters 'bipolar'. They could be sad, angry and unforgiving one second and then it would pass as quick as a flash of lightning and they would be happy, accepting and understanding the next.

Wally watched as his friends attempted to mingle with the Justice League crowd. He saw the flickers of uneasy, anger, and confusion cross their faces as they met people who had been opposed to their very existence. Wally had felt those feelings, but now he was even more determined to mix with their adult versions. Finding his Uncle Barry, he knew that, unlike the others who were still battling the horror of children fighting monsters, his Uncle had already battled those feelings and worries. He had probably had a week or more of Speedster time arguing over the intermingling of the League and Young Justice, but he'd gotten over it fast and was soon flashing around the room, talking to everyone.

With a flicker of his eyes towards Wally, Wally smiled and flashed over to his Uncle. He knew that they felt the same. Some things would take time, too much time that would be painfully slow for Speedsters, but making friends was never one of those things. The team was quickly won over by Uncle Barry, through his acceptance and understanding. They were friendly real fast. Wally had introduced himself to more members of the Justice League and he knew he had surprised them by being so open and accepting of their hostile feelings but not letting it get to him. It was a Speedster's nature.

Being a speedster could be hard, tough even. But Wally knew the joys of his life as a meta, as did his Speedster family. Perhaps his friends and the League couldn't always understand them, but they didn't need too. Wally had concluded that there would always be a wall between Speedsters and their friends; it couldn't be helped. Like any speedster, though, Wally was always ready to send a friendly smile any way. Being open to things that others wouldn't, becoming fast friends with old enemies, it was just a part of being a Speedster. It was just a Speedster's way.


End file.
